Traveling toy tea table

ABSTRACT

A disassembable toy tea table of reduced size having component parts which may be reassembled to form a luggage-shaped container. The container may be used for storage of utensils usable with the tea table for ready portability thereof and to facilitate maintaining the table and utensils intact.

United States Patent l l l 1 1 1 Inventor Edward A. Fogarty Chicago, 111.

Oct. 14, 1968 June 8, 1971 Marvin Glass 8: Asociates Chicago, 111.

App]. No. Filed Patented Assignee TRAVELING TOY TEA TABLE 1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 46/15 Int. Cl A63h 3/52 Field of Search 46/11, 15;

w13,ss3,090

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 700,355 5/1902 Mitchell .4 190/12 1,573,190 3/1925 Raizen 46/15 2,318,122 5/1943 Williams 190/12X Primary Examiner-Louis G. Mancene Assistant Examiner-D. L. Weinhold Altarneys.1ames F. Coffee and Gerald M. Newman ABSTRACT: A disassembable toy tea table of reduced size having component parts which may be reassembled to form a luggage-shaped container. The container may be used for storage of utensils usable with the tea table for ready portabilie ty thereof and to facilitate maintaining the table and utensils intact.

PATENTED JUN 8197! 3.583.090

INVENTOE EDWA/QDA. road/Pry vim/Z0 772 7A.

ATTORNEY TRAVELING Tov TEA TABLE This invention relates in general to toys. in particular this invention relates to a child's toy tea table which may be disassembled into its component parts and subsequently reassembled to form a portable closed container for storage of toy utensils usable with the table.

A desirable aspect of children's toys is portability for enabling use of the toy away from the home environment. A second desirable aspect, especially of toys having a plurality of components, is that they be storable together in a container to prevent the components from becoming displaced or lost and in general to keep the toy intact for subsequent usage.

Accordingly, the toy of the invention comprises a tea table of reduced size suitable for use by a child and tea utensils for use therewith wherein the table may be disassembled as a table and the component parts reassembled as a container which may be closed for intact storage of the utensils and ready portability.

Thus, an object of this invention is to provide a disassemblable tea table for use by a child.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tea table for use by a child which may be disassembled and the parts reassembled to form a suitcaselike container for intact storage of utensils suitable for use with the tea table and for ready portability thereof.

lt is also an object of this invention to provide a disassem blable toy tea table which may be reassembled as a container using the table pedestal and top as the container walls, and wherein said container is suitable for storage of utensils usable with the tea table.

Additional objects of this invention will become apparent to those versed in the art upon an understanding of the following detailed description of the tea table construction taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the table is shown and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional perspective view of the parts of the toy tea table of the invention assembled as a portable storage container;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the table assembled as a container taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a slightly enlarged three-dimensional perspective view of the toy tea table of the invention in its assembled condition;

HO. 4 is a forshortened cross-sectional elevational view of the assembled toy tea table shown in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is an exploded three-dimensional view of the table parts assembled as a container with the lid removed depicting the location of utensils for use with the tea table and a support column in their stored condition.

Referring now to FIG. 1, the components of the toy tea table of the invention are shown assembled to form a closed container generally referred to by reference numeral and having a shape similar to that of a piece of traveling luggage. The closed container comprises a dish-shaped member 1] formed of a planar backwall l2 and an integrally formed circular sidewall 14 defining a circumferential flange 16. The container is closed by a top or lid having an exposed planar surface 22 and a perpendicular lip 24 which is complimentary to the flange l6. The lip may be received by and is frictionally retained in the flange for maintaining the container in its closed condition. A carrying handle 18 may be secured to the sidewall 14 for the convenience of the user in transporting the container and to simulate a piece of hand-carried traveling luggage.

Referring particularly to FlGS. 2 and 4, wall 12 of member 11 has an integrally formed circular cup defining a socket 25 and lid 20 has a similarly formed cup defining a socket 27. Sockets 25 and 27 are particularly useful for enabling scmipermanent assembly of the table, as will be described in greater detail hereinafter.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, the table is assembled by disassociating dish-shaped member 11 from top 20 and using the former part as a table pedestal by inverting it so that flan e 16 rests on a supportmg surface such as a floor (not shown Backwall 12 now faces upwardly and serves as the upper surface of the pedestal. This upper surface is preferably parallel to the floor and is substantially perpendicular to-the socket 25.

A longitudinal, generally circular column 30 is provided for support of the table top. A lower end 32 of the column is received by socket 25 for supporting it in an upright attitude. Top 20, which functioned as the container lid, is now inverted from the position shown in FIG. 2 and the socket 27 thereof is guided over an upper end 34 of column 30. Thus, as best seen in FIG. 4, the top is securely supported above the pedestal a given distance slightly less than the total length of the column, and is supported substantially parallel to the surface upon which the pedestal rests. As assembled, the table may be used by children at play for serving and support of utensils such as cups, saucers, a tea service, and cookies 38.

As best seen in FIG. 5, when the tea table has been disassembled and the parts are being used as a container, utensils 38 and support 30 may be stored within the container between walls 12 and 20 to keep the set intact and to prevent the components from becoming misplaced, lost, or otherwise disassociated from the tea table.

What has been described is a child's traveling tea table having a pedestal base and top which may be disassembled and reassembled as a hand-carried traveling container for storage of the utensils used with the tea table.

lt is obvious that upon study by those skilled in the an the disclosed invention may be altered or modified without departing from its inventive concept. Therefore the scope of protection given this invention should not be limited by the embodiment described above but should be determined by the essential descriptions thereof which appears in the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A generally cylindrical container which is convertible into a toy table, comprising a first part having a circular backwall and an integrally formed circular sidewall, means defining a first socket in the center of said backwall which has its open end coplanar with said backwall, a circular lid portion having a circular sidewall which is frictionally engageable with the sidewall of said first part, means on said lid portion defining a second socket at the center of said lid portion and ex tending inwardly of said lid when the latter is disposed in covering relation to said first part, and a column member storable in said container and frictionally engageable with both said first socket means and said second socket means, whereby said cylindrical container is convertible into a table wherein said first part is disposed on a supporting surface with said first socket means facing upwardly and receiving one end of said column and said lid portion is supported on the upper end of said column through engagement therewith by said second socket means. 

1. A generally cylindrical container which is convertible into a toy table, comprising a first part having a circular backwall and an integrally formed circular sidewall, means defining a first socket in the center of said backwall which has its open end coplanar with said backwall, a circular lid portion having a circular sidewall which is frictionally engageable with the sidewall of said first part, means on said lid portion defining a second socket at the center of said lid portion and extending inwardly of said lid when the latter is disposed in covering relation to said first part, and a column member storable in said container and frictionally engageable with both said first socket means and said second socket means, whereby said cylindrical container is convertible into a table wherein said first part is disposed on a supporting surface with said first socket means facing upwardly and receiving one end of said column and said lid portion is supported on the upper end of said column through engagement therewith by said second socket means. 